Valentine's Day Hearts

I made dozens of these little heart-shaped cookies using my cookie press, then dipped them in chocolate and decorated them with red and white sprinkles (which I had to meticulously separate from the blue ones in the patriotic sprinkles I had on hand!). I sent these in the mail to my SEEK coworkers across the country (San Francisco, Tucson, Cincinnati, Philadephia, and DC) and also shared a few with generous neighbors who lent me their shovels during the epic snowstorms we had this winter.

Superbowl Chocolate Cake

I chose Flour bakery's Midnight Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Buttercream to indulge in while watching Superbowl XLIX: New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks.

Carrot Cupcakes

Joanne Chang's Flour Bakery recipe for Carrot Cake, made into soft, delicious cupcakes. Note to self: Next time, leave out the raisins!

Pizzelle

Traditional Italian Pizzelle - a Christmas tradition in my family. These are flavored with anise extract.

Birthday Celebration Cake

"Funfetti" cake for Brandon's 39th birthday! White cake baked with rainbow sprinkles and frosted with vanilla buttercream icing.

Chocolate Cookies

Melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookies from Barbara Lynch's magnificent Stir cookbook.

Blueberry Peach Pie

Perfect complimentary flavors for a summer cookout with Dan and Leasa on Brandon's patio. Adapted from the Cook's Illustrated peach-blueberry crisp recipe.

Sugared Doughnuts

Fluffy and sweet sugared donuts from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook.

Shortbread Cookies

Flaky, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook, made for a summertime porch BBQ at David and Cuong's.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Fresh fruit pies are my favorite desserts! This strawberry rhubarb pie was made as a going-away gift for Jane, my former Arnold coworker.

Red Velvet Cake

Courtesy of Joanne Chang's Flour Bakery cookbook: Red Velvet Cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting. Made for my family's Easter celebration.

Coconut Macaroons

Perfectly balanced between crispy and chewy, these coconut macaroons are from Joanne Chang's Flour Bakery cookbook. Made for my last week of working from home.

Zeppoli

A traditional pastry in my Italian family, these custard-filled cream puffs are made for St. Joseph's Day.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Fresh fruit ice cream is my second favorite dessert, right behind fresh fruit pies. This was made to accompany a dinner party with friends.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Gluten free peanut butter cookies turn out to look, feel, and taste exactly like non-GF cookies.  Made these for Scott and Sarah, my gluten intolerant friends down in Florida.

Raspberry Macarons

Thomas Keller's raspberry macaron cookies are HUGE.  Practically a meal replacement.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Sweetened peanut butter filling sandwitched between two crunchy, chewy peanut butter cookies. Recipe from CooksIllustrated.

Ginger SassaFluff Cake

Hot n' sassy gingerbread on a graham cracker crust with 7 minute marshmallow fluff frosting and an "f" shaped cookie, made for Somerville's annual "What the Fluff?" Festival, celebrating the invention of Marshmallow Fluff.

I took home the trophy for Most Creative Presentation!

Pictured above are the judges, contest winners, and... a gorilla in a fluff t-shirt.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Turns out you can bake cupcakes into canning jars and send them in the mail!  These were for my Cincinnati friend Justin's birthday.  The red velvet cake with creamy vanilla frosting recipe comes from the Flour Bakery cookbook (what a surprise!)

Cherry Massacre

This is what happens every time I make a cherry pie.